One of the cool parts of the NFL celebrating 100 years in
2019 is remembering the great moments and players that have helped shape the
history of the game.

The NFL Network has been sharing their selections for the
top moments, game-changers, teams and characters. Soon they will be unveiling
their list of the top 100 players in NFL history.

In a sport that has seen great change and evolution over 100
years, creating any comprehensive all-time list is going to be subjective and
open to interpretation.

That is likely even more pronounced when trying to choose
the top 100 players of the NFL’s first 100 years.

Some will certainly rely heavily on statistics as a guide,
but my opinion is that while individual season statistics and the number of
seasons leading the league in a statistical category can help identify
greatness, career and all-time statistics are not as helpful and can be
misleading when trying to pick an all-time team.

Whether it is related to the number of games played each
season, move from playing both ways to position specialization or rule changes
that impact offensive production, there has been enough change over the history
of the game that I believe reduce the importance of career statistics.

That is why for the
Sports Then and Now list of the Top 100 Players in NFL history we chose to give
greater emphasis to other factors. The things we looked at when choosing our
top 100 included All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections, number of times leading their
league in statistical categories, how they compared to other players from
within their era and peak performance. Team success was given greater weight in
ordering quarterbacks, but played only a minor role in selecting players from
other positions.

The result is a Sports Then and Now Top 100 list that I
fully expect to look very different than the list that will be unveiled on the
NFL Network beginning on November 22nd. For our list, we made sure
not to forget those players from the 1920s-1950s whose career statistics are
well below players from future decades, but who were clearly all-time greats.

The distribution of players by era for the ST&N Top 100
is very interesting: 1920s-1930s: 8; 1940s-1950s: 13; 1960s: 24; 1970s: 15;
1980s: 12; 1990s: 12; 2000s: 8; 2010s: 7. However, 14 of our top 20 played a
majority of their career after 1980.

This is the first of four posts over the next couple weeks
announcing the ST&N Top 100. This one includes players 100-76.

100. Larry Wilson –
St. Louis Cardinals – 8 Pro Bowls; 5 time 1st Team All-Pro: The
creator of the safety blitz, Wilson was a hard-nosed player who was one of the
top defensive players of the 1960s. He registered 52 career interceptions and
scored seven defensive touchdowns during his career.

99. J.J. Watt –
Houston Texans – 5 Pro Bowls, 5 time 1st Team All-Pro: When
healthy, J.J. Watt has clearly distinguished himself as an all-time great. He
has earned first-team All-Pro in each of the five seasons in which he has been
healthy throughout the year and was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year
three times in his first four years. Unfortunately, a recent injury that has
ended his 2019 season marks the third time in the last four years that he has
played in eight or fewer games.

98. Adrian Peterson –
Minnesota Vikings (primary team) – 7 Pro Bowls; 4 time 1st team
All-Pro: A three-time NFL rushing champion, Adrian Peterson was the most
dominant running back in the NFL during his 10 seasons in Minnesota. After
suffering a major knee injury in 2011, the next season he rushed for 2,097
yards, which is the second highest single season total in NFL history.

97. Derrick Brooks –
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 11 Pro Bowls; 5 time 1st team All-Pro:
Often over-shadowed by more flamboyant teammates, Derrick Brooks was the steady
leader of a Tampa Bay defense that was among the best in the league for nearly
a decade. In their Super Bowl winning season in 2002, Brooks was the NFL
Defensive Player of the Year as he returned three interceptions for touchdowns
during the regular season and had another score in the Super Bowl.

96. John Randle –
Minnesota Vikings – 7 Pro Bowls; 6 time 1st team All-Pro:
Undrafted out of Texas A&M-Kingsville, Randle developed into one of the
best defensive tackles in NFL history. He registered double-digit sacks for
eight straight seasons, including a league leading 15.5 in 1995.

95. Gale Sayers –
Chicago Bears – 4 Pro Bowls; 5 time 1st team All-Pro: Injuries
limited him to just 68 NFL games, but during that time Sayers established
himself as a game-changer and all-time great. Able to impact the game as a
runner, returner or receiver, Sayers led the NFL in all-purpose yards in each
of his first three seasons. As a rookie in 1965, he scored six touchdowns in a
game and 22 touchdowns for the season. After suffering a devastating knee
injury during the 1968 season, he came back to lead the NFL in rushing in 1969.

94. Rod Woodson –
Pittsburgh Steelers – 11 Pro Bowls; 6 time 1st team All-Pro: Rod
Woodson was so good during the first seven years of his NFL career that he was
the youngest player selected to the NFL’s 75th Anniversary team in
1994. He went on to play another decade in the NFL to establish himself as one
of the greatest defensive backs in league history. He registered 17 defensive
and return touchdowns during his career while intercepting 71 passes.

93. Aaron Rodgers –
Green Bay Packers – 7 Pro Bowls; 2 time 1st team All-Pro: One of
seven active players in the ST&N Top 100, Aaron Rodgers has been the NFL
MVP twice and was also MVP of Super Bowl XLV. Currently in his 12th
season as a starting quarterback, Rodgers has thrown 354 touchdown passes with
only 82 interceptions while completing 64.8% of his passes.

92. Larry Little –
Miami Dolphins – 5 Pro Bowls; 5 time 1st team All-Pro: One of
the most dominant offensive linemen of the 1970s, Little was a key leader on a
Miami offensive line that helped lead the team to three straight Super Bowl
appearances and two championships. The Dolphins finished among the top five in
the league in rushing yards seven times in the decade, including twice leading
the league in rushing yards.

91. Clarke Hinkle –
Green Bay Packers – 3 Pro Bowls; 4 time 1st team All-Pro: When
Clarke Hinkle retired from the NFL after the 1941 season he left as the leading
rusher in NFL history with 3,860 yards. A two-way starter as a running back and
defensive back, Hinkle was named a first or second team All-Pro in each of his
10 seasons with the Packers. He was also one of the best punters in the league
throughout his career.

90. Brett Favre –
Green Bay Packers – 11 Pro Bowls; 3 time 1st team All-Pro:
Possessing one of the strongest arms in NFL history, Brett Favre struggled
throughout his career to balance his gun-slinger mentality with the occasional
need for situational constraint. He tossed 508 touchdown passes, but was
intercepted 336 times. He twice threw crucial late game or overtime
interceptions in NFC Championship Games. He was the NFL MVP three straight
years from 1995-1997.

89. Mike Ditka –
Chicago Bears – 5 Pro Bowls; 2 time 1st team All-Pro: The first
tight end to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, “Iron Mike” made
an immediate impact as a rookie in 1961 with 56 receptions, 1,076 yards
receiving and 12 touchdowns. He helped the Chicago Bears win the NFL
Championship in 1963 and then caught a touchdown pass to help the Dallas
Cowboys win Super Bowl VI.

88. Drew Brees – New
Orleans Saints – 12 Pro Bowls; 1 time 1st team All-Pro: Since
joining the New Orleans Saints in 2006, Drew Brees has been statistically the
most prolific passer in the NFL. He has led the NFL in passing yards seven
times, completion percentage five times and touchdown passes four times. He is
currently the NFL’s all-time leader in passing completions and passing yards
and ranks second in touchdown passes.

87. Julio Jones –
Atlanta Falcons – 6 Pro Bowls; 2 time 1st team All-Pro: Since
joining the NFL in 2011, Julio Jones has consistently been among the top
receivers in the league. He has twice led the league in receiving yards and has
averaged more than 100 yards receiving per game in a season five times. In 2015
his 136 catches and 1,871 receiving yards each ranked as the second highest
since season totals in NFL history.

86. Raymond Berry –
Baltimore Colts – 6 Pro Bowls; 3 time 1st team All-Pro: Known
for his precision patterns, Raymond Berry teamed with Johnny Unitas to form one
of the greatest passing combos in NFL history. Despite playing primarily in an
era with just 12 games per season, Berry retired as the NFL all-time leader
with 631 receptions and 9,275 receiving yards.

85. Art Donovan –
Baltimore Colts – 5 Pro Bowls; 4 time 1st team All-Pro: Though
he was better known following his career for his large personality and stories,
Art Donovan was one of the best defensive linemen of his era and a key
defensive leader on back-to-back Baltimore Colts championship teams in 1958 and
1959.

84. Roosevelt Brown –
New York Giants – 9 Pro Bowls; 6 time 1st team All-Pro: A
dominant left tackle with the New York Giants for 13 seasons, the 6-foot-3, 255
pound Brown was one of the dominant offensive linemen of his era.

83. Buck Buchanan –
Kansas City Chiefs – 8 Pro Bowls; 4 time 1st team All-Pro: At
6-foot-7, 270 pounds, Buck Buchanan was part of the great Kansas City defenses
of the 1960s. He was the anchor of the defensive line that reached two of the
first four Super Bowls.

82. Andy Robustelli –
New York Giants – 7 Pro Bowls; 6 time 1st team All-Pro: Andy
Robustelli played in eight NFL title games in 14 seasons with the Los Angeles
Rams and New York Giants, winning two titles. He missed just one game during
his career and was a dominant defensive end. He registered 22 career fumble
recoveries.

81. Kellen Winslow –
San Diego Chargers – 5 Pro Bowls; 3 time 1st team All-Pro: The
premier tight end of his era, Kellen Winslow was integrated into the Air
Coryell passing attack in a way unlike any previous tight end had been used. As
a result, he twice led the NFL in receptions and eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards
three times. Injuries limited his production over the final four years of his
career.

80. Earl Campbell –
Houston Oilers – 5 Pro Bowls; 3 time 1st team All-Pro: Earl
Campbell was the NFL’s leading rusher in each of his first three NFL seasons,
including 1,934 yards in 1980. He was a powerful runner who also had the
ability to break big gainers. He gained over 1,300 yards in five of first six
seasons (all but strike-shortened 1982 campaign). He gained over 100 yards
rushing in 29 of the first 47 games of his career and finished his career with
9,407 yards in 115 career games.

79. Randy White – Dallas Cowboys – 9 Pro Bowls; 7 time 1st team All-Pro: One of the most dominant defensive tackles in NFL history, Randy White was dominant against both the run and pass. He registered 111 career sacks and was co-MVP of Super Bowl XII.

78. Jack Lambert –
Pittsburgh Steelers – 9 Pro Bowls; 6 time 1st team All-Pro: At
6-foot-4, 220 pounds Jack Lambert was thought to be undersized for a middle linebacker.
However, his ability to pursue from side to side and play both against the run
and pass mad Lambert the perfect middle linebacker for the dominant Pittsburgh
defense of the 1970s. He registered 28 interceptions and recovered 17 fumbles
during his career.

77. Larry Fitzgerald – Arizona Cardinals – 11 Pro Bowls; 1 time All-Pro: One of the most consistent receivers of the last two decades, Larry Fitzgerald has caught over 100 passes in a season five times and has 80 or more receptions in 10 seasons. He also has eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving in a season nine times. In the 2008 post season he caught 30 passes for 546 yards and seven touchdowns in four games.

76. Dan Marino – Miami Dolphins – 9 Pro Bowls; 3 time 1st team All-Pro: The most dominant statistical passer of his era, Dan Marino set NFL records in 1984 when he passed for 5,084 yards and 48 touchdowns. He led the NFL in passing yards five times and in passing touchdowns three times. At the time of his retirement, Marino was the NFL career leader in touchdown passes and passing yards.

Vintage Athlete of the Month

The Sports Then and Now Vintage Athlete of the Month was
just the fifth player in Major League Baseball history to have 11 straight
seasons with 20 or more home runs, yet could not sustain that greatness long
enough to earn a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

In some sense, the legend of Rocco “Rocky” Colavito Jr.
began long before he ever started pounding home runs at the major league level.

Born and raised as a New York Yankees fan in The Bronx,
Colavito was playing semipro baseball before he was a teenager and dropped out
of high school at 16 after his sophomore year to pursue a professional career.
The major league rule at the time said a player could not sign with a pro team
until his high school class graduated, but after sitting out for one year,
Colavito was allowed to sign at age 17.